Academy of Ayurvedic Studies

About the AAS

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Amsterdam, Noord Holland, Netherlands
International Ayurveda training in the Netherlands and in India

Monday, February 28, 2011

Ayurveda vis-a-vis Modern Medicine

Ayurveda and modern medicine differ in one basic sense: Modern Medicine is driven by Structure or the 'Part' and is thus substantially dependent on laboratory tests and diagnostic investigations such as x-ray, scans, etc., in the diagnosis process as well as the basis of medical management. But, Ayurveda gives importance to Function or the effect of the 'Whole' . When every sub-system functions properly, it is health. When there is some difference or difficulty in the function, ill-health is caused. That is why functional behaviour, expressed as symptoms, constitutes the basis of both diagnosis, as well as medical management, in Ayurveda. Which is why, it is said that modern medicine is disease-centric , while Ayurveda is patient-centric.

There need not be any contradiction between Ayurveda and Modern Medicine. The two systems may truly and effectively complement each other, when structural knowledge is judiciously integrated and interpreted in the Ayurveda paradigm of 'whole person' functional performance.

Contrary to common perception, through the ages, the seers of Ayurveda recognized the need to ensure that Ayurveda was relevant to contemporary needs and developments. Vagbhata, the latest of the acharyas, says in his text that he is trying to make the system up-to-date and suitable for the times (yuganuroopa). The practice of Ayurveda being reduced to a system of prescribed and ‘over the counter' medication, akin to Allopathic medicines, is not the answer. The changes are to be only in application, not in principles. Thus, one can apply modern tools, modern insight, and modern knowledge, whether it is at the biological, anatomical, physiological, or genetic level, in the context of Ayurveda's foundational principles, without any contradiction whatsoever. Further, modern advances in risk management, emergency management, organ transplantation, and surgical interventions of all types can only complete and enhance the value of Ayurveda and in no way detract from it.

One may posit that for early to mature stages as well as chronic stages of a disease, Ayurveda has excellent answers to the health needs of mankind; while once a person has already reached an acute or emergency health state, modern medicine and surgical technique with attendant medical technologies is unparalleled in its effectiveness.

from this site: http://ayurvaid.com/AyurVaid/?q=ayurveda-vis-a-vis-modern-medicine

World's Largest & Best Ayurveda Case Discussion

http://www.ayurvedaconsultants.com/caseallreplies.aspx

Friday, February 25, 2011

Last photo update internship and conference in India

On our photo site you can see all the last photo additions of the internship and conference in India.
Click here for more photographs.


India jan 11-18

India jan 11-0

India jan 11-85



India jan 11-114

Ayurvedic practitioners will be statutorily regulated in the UK!

After years of lobbying and hard work, one of the main objectives of the APA has been achieved: Ayurvedic practitioners will be statutorily regulated in the UK!

The Secretary of State for Health has announced in a Ministerial Statement issued on 16 February 2011 by the UK Department of Health that the Health Professions Council (HPC) has been asked to establish a statutory register for practitioners supplying unlicensed herbal medicines.

The announcement came together with the publication of the analysis report of the 2009 public consultation by the four UK Health Departments, which had sought views on statutory regulation of acupuncture, herbal medicine and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners. This report shows that a clear majority (85%) of over 6000 consultation responses were in favour of statutory regulation of these professions. However, according to the Ministerial Statement, the statutory register will only be established for "practitioners supplying unlicensed herbal medicines". Acupuncturists have not been included in the proposal.

Statutory regulation will effectively mean that practitioners supplying unlicensed herbal medicines are considered "authorised healthcare professionals" under EU medicines law. Thus they qualify for an exemption under Article 5(1) of the Human Medicinal Products Directive (2001/83/EC), allowing them to commission unlicensed herbal medicines to meet the special needs of their individual patients.

A formal consultation exercise will take place on specific legislative proposals for establishing the register and proposed reforms of medicines legislation later in 2011. Subject to Parliamentary procedures, the Department of Health aims to have the legislation in place in 2012.

For more details and an outlook on the challenges & tasks ahead while the statutory register is established, please see the APA News Update which will be on our website very shortly.

Kind regards

Ayurvedic Practitioners Association
Representing Ayurvedic Practitioners throughout the UK
info@apa.uk.com
www.apa.uk.com

Friday, February 11, 2011

Article from The Times of India

Ancient Ayurveda now in Cds

BHUBANESWAR: Suffering from arthritis? You can now have a ready reckoner in the form of a CD with the medical advice culled from the ancient texts of India. Madhava Chikitsa, Vaidya Kalpalata, Vaidya Sarvaswa and Ayurveda Ratna, some of the treasures of Ayurvedic literature, are now available in digital format.

The Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS) recovered these rare manuscripts from individuals and organisations from across the state and converted them into CD and DVD form for future use.

"Orissa has a huge collection of manuscripts on the goodness of ancient Ayurveda. Unfortunately, a large number of Ayurvedic texts lie unexplored and trapped in palm-leaves, which are decaying. Many unique and valuable information contained in these texts are being lost, so we decided to preserve them in CDs," said deputy director of CCRAS, M M Padhi.

He further said, the institute is also planning to set up a manuscript library to preserve these rare documents.
Around 2,000 manuscripts have already been catalogued and around 1,000 among them have been digitised, said Padhi.

Besides palm leaf manuscripts, many paper and metal manuscripts were also recovered. The manuscripts were found in individual and organisational possession in different districts of Cuttack, Khurda, Puri, Nayagarh, Bhadrak and Jajpur.

"The main aim of the project is to preserve the oldest record of medicinal theories and applied utilities available in the manuscripts. From the manuscripts, many rare texts describing the treatment of arthritis, asthma, piles, chronic wound were found. They were written by vaidyas hundreds of years back. Similarly, Vaidya Kalpalata is a rare script that describes many proven and tested treatment procedures," said nodal officer of the project, Bikartan Das.

Niranjan Brahma, an individual collector from Puri, said, "From these manuscripts it is evident how rich was Orissa in Ayurveda. Many of these texts are still unpublished, while a huge quantity was damaged in disasters like floods and cyclone and due to lack of proper care."

Last day of internship - a short impression

Today is the last day of the internship. The day started with the usual singing of sutra's and a lst part of a lesson on leech therapy. Then followed by individual evaluation talks of all the students with Dr. Vijith. This afternoong we will finish the 3 weeks with a Certificate of Completion ceremony.
Last night we went to the nearby Shiva temple, where Dr. Vijith explained us few things and we did a round of prayers and singing of sutra's.

Also last night we made group pictures, as one participant from the UK already had to leave late at night for a flight back to Europe.

And after that we set up our 'semi-professional filmstudio' for further shootings of video classes with Dr. Vijith - an ongoing project on Shad Padartha and the first 15 chapters of Asthanga Hridayam.



Tomorrow on to Fort Cochin and Monday off to Delhi/Rishikesh!
We will keep you updated,

Coen

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Ayurveda in The New York Times!

For everyone who is interested in how Ayurveda has its own ways of spreading through the world, and reaching the main stream public - for good or for bad - here is a link to a nice article in the New York Times, about a model who turned 'guru' in the filed of yoga and ayurveda!!!

"Hot or Not? A Model Turned Guru on What to Eat

YOGI CAMERON thought I was hot. Which, I figured, was a flattering thing to hear from a man whose cheekbones used to earn him thousands of dollars a day.

Alas, he did not mean it as a compliment. Yogi Cameron, whose given name is Cameron Alborzian, was talking about the three types of energy that tend to show up in the human body, according to the principles of ayurveda: an earthy energy known as kapha, an airy one called vata, and a fiery one, pitta. Mr. Alborzian had taken a look at my face, soon after we’d sat down for lunch at Szechuan Gourmet on West 39th Street, and had determined that I was overflowing with pitta. My vata was in the red zone, too. "

Read on....

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Kruiden overzicht (online) van Todd Caldecott

Voor een van de studenten was ik op zoek naar meer informatie over Shankapushpi: zoals wel vaker voorkomt in Ayurveda staat een bepaalde naam soms voor meerdere species, met andere latijnse namen. Zo wordt in Zuid India een 'andere' Brahmi gebruikt dan in Noord India. Zo ook met Shankapushpi, zie hieronder een stukje tekst op de zeer uitgebreide website van Todd Caldecott, wiens boek we op de AAS als textbook gebruiken in de beroepsopleiding:

Shankapushpi

Botanical names: Various species are cited in various texts for Shankapushpi, including Convolvulus pluricaulis, C. microphyllus and Evolvulus alsinoides (Convolvulaceae), and Clitoria ternatea (Papilionaceae).

Other names:
*Canscora decussata: Shankhini (S), Kalameg, Shankhauli, Shamkhaphuli (H)
*Convolvulus pluricaulis, C. microphyllus: Shankhava, Mangalyakusuma (S), Sankhahuli (H)
*Evolvulus alsinoides: Vishnukranta (S), Shyamakranta (H), Vishnukiranti (T)
*Clitoria ternatea: Girikarnika, Aparajita (S), Aparjit (H), Kannikkoti, Girikanni (T)

Wil je meer weten over ayurvedische kruiden, neem dan ook eens een kijkje op de website van Todd Caldecott!

Leech therapy - bloedzuigers: een ayurvedisch specialisme



Terwijl hier iedere dag patiënten met huidziekten worden behandeld, kijken en helpen onze 4e jaars studenten met alles mee. Vandaag hebben een aantal van hen zelf bloedzuigers op de huid van patiënten geplaatst. Daarvan hierbij ook een paar foto's.


De studenten leren stap voor stap van Dr. Vijith en Dr. Vidya over theorie en praktijk van huidziekten. De laatste dagen vooral over Vata die zich in de huid heeft genesteld, wat daar de symptomen van zijn (en de oorzaken), en hoe dat behandeld dinet te worden. Alles op basis van de klassieke sutra's, die in Sanskriet gezongen worden en vervolgens woord voor woord worden uitgelegd.

Coen

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Een conferentie van Supplement - 'integrative medicine'

Integrative Care for the Future is an international organization devoted to the support, study and dissemination of evidence-based, complementary therapies that are used to control symptoms associated with cancer and other serious illnesses. (www.IntegrativeCareftFuture.org)
First International Conference on Integrative Care for the Future
Amsterdam
March 11-12, 2011

Integrative medicine faces challenges as it attempts to develop a larger presence.
This First International Conference will address the economic, political, regulatory,
educational and professional health care landscape in a diverse group of nations.


The First International Conference on Integrative Care for the Future will be chaired by Barrie Cassileth, PhD, Chief of the Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York. The Conference has been organized in partnership with Mischa Nagel, publisher of Supplement+, a Dutch periodical for health professionals.

Barrie R. Cassileth Mischa P.M. Nagel
CONFERENCE CHAIR
Barrie Cassileth, PhD CONFERENCE ORGANIZER
Mischa P.M. Nagel




Integrative Care for the Future 2011

The future of Integrative Medicine in Cancer Care

The Conference will open with a half-day Round-Table Symposium of international Health Policy leaders. It will be followed by a full-day Plenary Session of lectures by experts representing various regions of the world. Unique opportunities will be available to exchange ideas with delegates from around the world and to enjoy informal conversation. Attendance is open to those professionally involved in oncology and related fields, including those interested in the educational and organizational aspects of health care and healthcare systems. It will also be open to representatives of patient organizations, government employees, insurers, medical students and by the press. Maximum seat capacity is 600. English will be the official language of the conference.

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Praktijk Week

Na een hele week intensief theorie geleerd te hebben (van 's ochtends 6.00 am t/m 19.00 pm) waren we helemaal klaar om vanaf deze week de patienten te zien.
Vandaag was er een patient met kandu, daaha, shopa, pidikaa en shpotam, svara en kaasa!
Dat was best heftig.
Sommige patienten hebben milde aandoeningen maar andere zitten helemaal onder de abcessen in alle vormen en kleuren.
Ook hebben we bekeken hoe de bepaalde tailams en ghrta's gemaakt worden: een lang & intensief & heet proces (bewondering voor de mensen die dit klaarmaken!).
We gaan de komende dagen veel patienten zien met vitiligo. Best opmerkelijk om een indier te zien die een witte huid heeft
afgezien van wat bruine vlekjes.
Komend weekend zal het uitrusten zijn (hoera!) en dan gaan we lekker wandelen in de bergen, even uitpuffen en genieten van een andere omgeving.

Word vervolgd....

zonnige curry-groetjes van Bianca & Tamara

Ayurveda en Biofysische geneeskunde?

Biofysische geneeskunde: dat lijkt qua principes wel heel veel op Ayurveda - goede ontwikkeling!

Lees de volgende aankondiging:
-------------------------------

Vrijdag 13 mei 2011: 3e ABB congres
‘Samen genezen - Duurzaam beter’
Congrescentrum '1931', Brabanthallen te ‘s-Hertogenbosch

Duurzame oplossingen voor chronische klachten, op basis van een eigentijdse medisch wetenschappelijke benadering van de aloude principes van de Biofysische Geneeskunde.
Dat is het thema van ons tweejaarlijkse congres.

Het is onze stellige overtuiging dat behandeling op basis van de Biofysische geneeskunde en Bio-informatietherapie een belangrijke bijdrage kunnen leveren aan duurzame oplossingen voor soms onbegrepen chronische klachten en aandoeningen die het menselijk welzijn in toenemende mate bedreigen. Vaak hangen deze chronische klachten en aandoeningen samen met de leefstijl én de omgevingsfactoren van een individu.

Binnen de Biofysische Geneeskunde en Bio-informatietherapie zijn drie uitgangspunten leidend:
* het zelfregulerend en herstellend vermogen van het lichaam
* de wetenschap dat alle processen in en tussen organismen met elkaar samenhangen
* en daaruit voortvloeiend de verbondenheid van de mens met zijn medemens en de natuur

Zo wordt het steeds duidelijker dat de vitaliteit van de gehele mens wordt bepaald door interactie met de omgeving (het veld) waarin hij functioneert. Onderzoek en behandeling zijn dan ook gericht op versterking en herstel van de energiestofwisseling en het belangrijkste principe van de kwantumfysica: de informatie-uitwisseling binnen en tussen organismen. Duurzame gezondheid, vitaliteit, zelfmanagement en soepele aanpassing binnen een snel veranderend leefmilieu zijn daarbij sleutelwoorden.

Dit 3e ABB congres met internationale sprekers mag u niet missen. Schrijf u vandaag nog in!

Meer weten over Ayurveda en melk?

Op de website van Dr. John Douillard uit de VS (auteur van verschillende - goede - boeken over Ayurveda) staat een goed verhaal (inclusief filmpje) over wat er wel of niet goed zou zijn aan zuivelproducten.

Vandaag de dag zijn veel mensen melk-intolerant (lactose-intolerant), maar melk stond in Ayurveda bekend als MEDICIJN: hoe kan dat???

Meer hierover in dat artikel van John Douillard, zie stukje en link hier.

Nog meer hierover: doe de Diplomacursus Ayurvedische Voeding en Voedingsleer van de AAS - deze cursus gaat diepgaand in op deze en vergelijkbare moderne voedingsvraagstukken vanuit ayurvedisch perspectief!

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Dairy, much like gluten, has been deemed by many to be a "bad food". Some studies have linked dairy products to just about everything - from allergies to obesity, fatigue, mood, instability and more.

Other studies promote compelling research that link dairy to numerous health benefits and tout it as an essential food for optimal health.

With both camps citing conflicting studies the truth about dairy is confusing, to say the least.

Don't miss this Health Report where I shed much needed light on a very perplexing issue and reveal an amazingly simple solution to the problem of pasteurization and homogenization. Though this solution has been used in Ayurveda for thousands of years, it is available in every grocery store.

http://www.lifespa.com/article.aspx?art_id=131